


Two Halves of a Whole (An “All The Right Reasons” interlude)

by Gwenling



Category: The Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7735639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwenling/pseuds/Gwenling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for: mesnica<br/>Words: dune, brisk, scent</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Halves of a Whole (An “All The Right Reasons” interlude)

  
The early morning sky was a canvas filled with fading shades of rose, coral and plum, as Viggo fought the last remnants of sleep’s hold, only to find the other half of the bed empty, the spot that Orlando had occupied just a few hours earlier, cool to the touch.   
  
He slowly blinked his sleep-laden eyes a few times, bringing the world into focus bit by bit, and looking around their room, he noticed Orlando’s suitcase on the chair, clothes spilling out through the opening as if they were trying to escape their leather prison. He reached over to the nightstand and retrieved his watch, checking the time and finding it entirely too early to be up and about while they were on vacation, as far as Viggo was concerned.  
  
Stretching beneath the blanket, his body hummed with a pleasant ache, reminding him of the previous night’s activities. Orlando might be nearly twenty years his junior, but Viggo could still hold his own where their physical relationship was concerned. He rolled onto his side and reached for Orlando’s pillow, cradled it to his chest and breathed in the scent of his lover that lingered there.  
  
The sound of a door closing downstairs caught his attention, followed by Sidi’s excited yips as he obtained his freedom. Orlando’s laughter wrapped itself around Viggo, coaxing the man from the bed. From the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Atlantic, he watched as the pair made their way down the wooden walkway and disappeared onto the beach. Going for his morning run, Viggo mused as he rifled through his own bag in search of something to wear. After donning a pair of well-worn, paint-stained jeans and faded t-shirt emblazoned with the Silverlake Falcon’s logo, he tossed the covers back onto the bed in some semblance of order, and then left their private haven.  
  
As he descended the stairs, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee teased his senses. He smiled when he found Beatrice sitting at the kitchen island, a rainbow striped mug on the counter in front of her, steam curling up from the liquid’s dark surface.   
  
“We didn’t wake you, did we?” Beatrice asked as Viggo reached into one of the overhead cabinets, retrieved his own cup, this one bearing a rainbow triangle with the words _It’s A Pride Thing_ written in black letters, and reached for the coffee pot.   
  
“Nah. I woke up right before I heard Orlando and Sidi leaving,” he said as he filled his cup and joined Beatrice at the island. “I’m surprised he’s up this early.”  
  
A knowing grin played on the elderly woman’s lips. “So am I, especially since you two didn’t get much sleep last night.”  
  
Viggo tried to hold the blush at bay, but knew it was futile when he felt the warmth settle in his cheeks. “Sorry about that,” he said as he tried to hide behind the ceramic mug. “We didn’t mean to disrespect you by...”  
  
Bea reached over and laid a hand on Viggo’s arm. “No disrespect taken. I remember what it was like to be young and in love, though I don’t think Philip and I were as vocal as you two are. Or maybe we were and I just didn’t give a damn at the time,” she said with a wink.  
  
“So Orlando comes by it naturally, then,” Viggo said as he tried to regain his footing. He was still getting used to the fact that Beatrice knew more about certain aspects of his and Orlando’s relationship than a grandmother should, but he was willing to let it slide since it was she who sent Orlando to Silverlake, and by extension, to Viggo.  
  
“If I recall, I seem to have heard two distinct voices last night,” she teased.  
  
Viggo’s hand went to the back of his neck and rubbed, as if that one action would halt the embarrassment he felt. “Yeah, about that...” he started only to be stopped by a shake of Beatrice’s head.  
  
“No need to explain things to me, Viggo. I’ve always known that you two were evenly matched in that area,” she said before raising her cup and taking a sip of the brew. “My grandson can be a force to be reckoned with; I’ve watched him often enough in business meetings at Copeland to know that, but on the flip-side, there are times he likes to be taken care of.”  
  
And those were the times that Viggo cherished, not that being on the receiving end of Orlando’s attentions were any less earth-shattering, but Viggo was a giver by nature and enjoyed lavishing attention on his young lover.   
  
Through the course of their relationship, they had learned the subtleties of give and take, both having to remember that they were no longer alone, that there was someone else to think about, someone else's feelings to consider. Things weren’t perfect, by any means, and there had been a few times that silence, rather than laughter, filled their home on Horseshoe Bay, but in the end, they had found their footing and settled into something that worked for them.  
  
If Viggo wanted his space, he would disappear into his attic studio, sometimes for hours at a time. When he emerged from his sanctuary, they would talk things through, look at the situation from both points of view, and decide the best way to avoid the situation in the future.  
  
Orlando found his solace in running. He had explained it to Viggo that, he wasn’t running from his problems, but used the exercise as a form of catharsis. He would use the time away to open his mind and examine the situation from different angles, make adjustments to his way of thinking, if need be, and when he returned, they would sit down and discuss everything.  
  
Once the crisis had passed, when apologies had been given and accepted, the make-up sex was phenomenal. Not that it wasn’t spectacular on a regular day, but it was these times that it was more poignant, knowing that either one of them could have easily thrown his hands up and walked away.   
  
So lost in his thoughts as Viggo was, he never noticed when Beatrice slipped quietly from the kitchen. His soul yearned for its mate and Viggo quickly exchanged the quiet of the house for the roar of the ocean. He ran down the wooden walkway that provided safe passage over the wind-swept dunes and stepped onto the soft, sandy beach. After a quick glance around, he spotted Orlando and Sidi several hundred yards down the shoreline and set off in their direction at a brisk pace.  
  
Sidi was the first to notice Viggo approaching and was by his side in a flash. The canine yipped happily, nudging Viggo’s hand with a cold nose, asking in his own way for some love. Viggo obliged by scratching behind Sidi’s ears before patting the mutt on the back. Apparently that was all he needed and took off once again, this time to chase a flock of sandpipers that had landed nearby.  
  
Viggo’s eyes never left Orlando and his heart swelled with love for the man standing in front of him. Never in a million years would Viggo have thought he could love someone as much as he loved Orlando. The young man was his life, the very air he breathed.  
  
“Hey,” Orlando said by way of greeting and then Viggo had taken him into his arms and held him close, reassuring himself that this was real, that he was not going to wake up and find that it had all been a dream. After a few moments, Viggo slid a finger beneath Orlando’s chin, tipped the beautiful face up towards his own and stared into the sienna depths that he felt himself drowning in.  
  
“I love you,” Viggo whispered before lowering his lips to Orlando’s. He poured his heart and soul into the connection, tried to convey just how much the other man meant to him, how much Viggo needed him, wanted him, cherished him.   
  
Orlando immediately gave himself over to Viggo, molded his body to the older man's and held on for dear life. He had seen the raw emotions swirling in the cerulean orbs a split second before Viggo claimed his lips and wondered what had caused it. He knew not to push the other man for answers, knew that Viggo would open up to him when he was ready, so for the time being, he took everything his lover was offering, and in return, gave everything that he was to the older man. He hoped it was enough.  
  
Viggo slowed the kiss and reluctantly broke their connection before resting his forehead against Orlando’s, their labored breaths mingling in the space between two pairs of open lips.  
  
“What did I do to deserve you?” he asked as he ran his hands down Orlando’s arms, linked their fingers together and brought their joined hands to rest between their chests.  
  
Orlando still wasn’t sure what had brought this on, but at least Viggo seemed a bit steadier now. “I could ask the same question of you, you know. Maybe we were extra good in our previous lives and this is our reward,” he mused.  
  
Viggo lifted their hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to their entwined fingers. “You are my life, you know that, right?”  
  
“And you are mine,” Orlando said with a smile before pressing his own kiss to the back of Viggo’s hand. He looked into Viggo’s eyes and noticed the roiling emotions he had glimpsed there earlier had calmed. “You okay?”  
  
“I am now,” he said with a quick nod. “Got lost in my head for a bit and needed to know that this is real.”  
  
This time it was Orlando who brushed his lips against Viggo’s. “Feels real to me,” he said before backing away and giving their joined hands a gentle tug. “You up for a walk or would you rather go back to the house?”  
  
“A walk sounds good,” Viggo said as he released Orlando’s hands and slid one around his lover’s waist, keeping him close as they turned to walk back down the beach.  
  
As the sun’s first rays peered over the horizon, bathing the two men with a golden glow, Viggo’s soul calmed, sensing the nearness of its other half, and once more, he felt complete.  



End file.
